Now our cat Tabitha is a much more helpful person than these delinquents. If she notices someone isn't wearing socks, she'll go upstairs and bring them down and present them, with a reproachful miaow.

I think the idea is that naked feet are a bit improper to Tabitha's refined and bluestockingish mind. Cat's are decently covered in hair, but humans are sadly deficient in that respect, and need to wrap up in order to approach felkine respectability.